The Calling
by Novanto
Summary: Sorcerer Orion Hecatson has been summoned to Station S-6-S by the mysterious Caretaker to participate in a tournament. Will he live and win? Nobody knows! ((My audition to Rapidfyrez' character tournament))
1. Orion Heeds the Call

**Novanto's Notes: Don't own MARVEL's Doctor Strange, yadda yadda, Marvel comics belongs to the amazing Stan Lee, blah blah blah, the usual boring disclaimer...**

**Now that that's out of the way, this, my dear readers, is my audition to the first-ever Original Character Tournament on this site, hosted by the Master of Transformers Prime fanfictions, rapidFyrez! The tournament is known as "The Calling" more information can be found on their profile! Enjoy my audition, the debut of new character, Orion Hecatson!**

* * *

It was yet another rainy night in Florida. A young man stood alone in a darkened room, lit only by a burning fireplace. His short black hair brushed the back of his pale neck as a long blue bang hung before his gold-colored eyes, which were covered by a simple pair of glasses. His name was Orion Hecatson, and he was no ordinary person. He was a sorcerer, and had trained under the Sorcerer Supreme himself for seven years.

_When Orion was twenty, he had found a pair of gleaming stones: an emerald and a sapphire. Upon picking them up, he saw a vision of six figures, each one formed of a different classical element; blazing fire, rushing water, blinding light, suffocating shadow, mysterious mist, and dark earth. Soon, a man named Wong contacted him, and invited to train his new abilities at his master's home. Orion accepted, and left for New York and the Sanctum Sanctorum. There, he met Doctor Stephen Strange and became an apprentice, making sure to follow the rules, and assisting him or Wong when necessary._

_As the years passed, overcoming each obstacle that the sorcerer put in his way with confidence and skill, he found more and more gem pairs, until six years had passed, with a complete set of fourteen. He spent another year learning to manipulate them to his will, until he could do so with a single thought or twitch of a wand. Soon after, Orion took his leave of the good Doctor and his servant. He returned to his home in Middleburg and found a job as an editor, continuing to practice his magic in the privacy of his own house, occasionally defending his home from creatures that sought to consume him and the energy of his magic._

The room was mainly wood, covered with bookshelves, and had an ornate rug covering the floor. Underneath a window, through which shone a rising full moon stood a desk. On it sat a sheaf of paper marked with gentle blue ink, a jar full of pencils and a pen, a music player that emitted soothing, New Age songs, and a laptop in the middle. Across the room stood a glass case on a pedestal with a brass plaque that read "Hallow Stones". On the plinth sat a red velvet cushion, on top of which where fourteen spherical jewels, in two rows of seven, separated by a length of wood. The top row was sapphires, while the lower was emeralds. Each one was engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek letters, and Norse runes. The stick was actually his wand, a hazel body, eleven and 1/4 inches in length, with a shed phoenix feather magical core. Next to the pedestal stood a simple wardrobe that looked like one in the house of Professor Digory Kirke. A length of black fabric was visible through the slightly open doors.

Near the fireplace sat a plush armchair and side table, on which sat Orion's favorite book. Above the mantle, a copy of the Mona Lisa smiled down at the occupant, and below it sat a picture of Doctor Strange. Orion stood with his front to the fire, gazing at a large glass model of the inner Sol system, which slowly spun around the center.

What was unique about this model was that instead of clockwork, this was a magical item gifted to him by Strange immediately before Orion finishing his apprenticeship under the Sorcerer, with each planet in its correct place and orbital plane, along with natural satellites. Along the edge spun the asteroid belt. If looked at properly, one could see the rest of the galaxy and solar system, with the planets beyond Saturn barely visible, stretched out on the other side of the sphere. "Looks like an eclipse soon!" Orion said to himself with a faint smile, touching the sphere and transferring a hint of gold magic into it to accelerate the positions and zoom in toward Earth and Luna, watching as the moon's shadow cross over Florida within the next day. "I bet I can use it to extend the range of the Outside Step..." he muttered casually.

The Outside Step was a strange ability where the user would briefly step outside of the universe as a means of teleportation, but it was slightly less dangerous than the standard Teleportation spell that caused the user to dissolve and reform elsewhere. Instead, another danger was that of being trapped Outside. All those who attempted it were never seen again. The gems however, somehow managed to stabilize the opening, at the cost of greatly limiting the spells range from "anywhere in the known universe" to "around six feet away in any direction", presumably for added safety Handy for a quick get-away, but overall, not as useful as the standard spell.

Resetting the model to the present moment, Orion stretched and strolled over to the wardrobe and patted it fondly. "You and me are gonna do great things tomorrow." he told it fondly, before going to bed. On his way, he plucked a book from a shelf, "Legends of Warriors." Inside its pages were strange tales of a mad god who lived on a dark ship that sailed the stars near a blazing inferno of light. Orion flicked through the pages as he sat in bed, reading more and more of the tales of ancient people who battled creatures and others to receive a wondrous prize. According to the stories, even heroes like the demigods Perseus and Hercules had once fought in the tournament. "Hmm... I never noticed this story..." the sorcerer muttered, pausing before reading aloud. "The Legend of Rowan, Horus, and the Caretaker, huh? sounds interesting..." Orion flipped to the chapter in question and began to read.

"_5,000 years ago, when the Gods of Egypt still reigned supreme and Ra still sailed above in the Boat of One-Thousand Years, the mighty warrior Heru-Ur, Horus the Elder, mistakenly teleported using a set of sapphires and emeralds..._ huh. That's odd." He glanced into the still-open door. "Sounds just like my set... anyway..." Orion returned his attention to the book. "_...using a set of sapphires and emeralds engraved with hieroglyphs and other strange symbols. He was taken to a construct among the stars near a hellish-looking scene, that resembled the three rings of the lost city, Etl-Enty - Atlantis._

"_However, the Atlantis Horus knew had been made of shining white and smooth marble, and had long ago sank beneath the sea. This place was black metal, covered in spiky sections, and wreathed in stellar fire. As his body and mind hurled closer, he briefly felt an emotion he thought he'd never feel again: Fear. But Horus was a warrior, and refused to let that fear make him close his eyes, preferring to face his death proudly and without looking away. Suddenly, his travel veered off from the straight line he was headed in, aiming instead for a small opening on the outermost ring. When Horus landed, he interacted with a strange creature he could not describe, and referred to it as the Caretaker. The being instructed Horus to fight, and fight he did. Horus fought strange monsters that looked to have crawled from his nightmares, humans and humanoids who wielded swords made of brilliant light, and even living statues before being incapacitated by a tree-like creature that struck him in the back._

"H_orus woke up some time later to find the tree creature winding a bandage around his wounds. "Why are you helping me?" He asked. "You could have killed me and moved on. Why didn't you?"_

"_"Because that is not the way of my people." It replied. "It is custom to help a fallen warrior either heal or guide him into the next life if he cannot be healed or chooses to die instead."_

"_Horus nodded. "A worthy action." he complimented. "Perhaps I can repay your actions by assisting you in this tournament."_

"_The Tree creature nodded. "Alright. You may call me Rowan."_

"_"And I am Horus." The two shook hands, and Horus morphed into a falcon to sit atop one of Rowan's branches. As they battled more and more of the competitors, they exchanged tales of their homelands. The duo fought until Rowan was the sole remaining victor. "We have done it, mighty Rowan."_

""_Indeed we have, Horus. Indeed we have." A loud noise sounded throughout the station._

"_"Congratulations, Tree Warrior." A croaking voice laughed out. "Kindly make your way to the center of the station to retrieve your prize." Rowan complied, and soon met the Caretaker himself. He appeared to be a thin spidery being, covered in translucent grey skin that looked thinner than the thinnest papyrus. His face had large black eyes and when he smiled, it was with dulled teeth and stretched madly. His hands ended in sharp claws, and his legs split in two at the knee into four feet that, Horus presumed, only held the Caretaker up due to his frailty. "Welcome to my lair, competitor. Unfortunately, your companion must be sent back now, as he cannot accept the prize. Say your farewells."_

"_Horus looked to Rowan. "Fare well brother. May we meet again in the next life." he intoned with a faint smile._

"_Rowan nodded. "And the same to you, friend. Good bye." With that, the world dissolved into a brilliant red light as he was sent back to Egypt, where he recorded this tale in his personal writings, revealing it to no-one._"

There, the story ended, and the tired sorcerer closed the book. "Sounds tough if it was able to beat Horus the Elder... but I bet I could do it!" he yawned, swiftly falling asleep.

As Orion dreamed, he saw a vaguely humanoid creature before him. Instantly, he sensed this was no mere dream. "Who are you?"

"Greetings, Sorcerer Orion Hecatson... I am the Caretaker. Your deeds in defending Earth from evil have earned our attention... Your skills and magic have earned you an invitation to a friendly tournament hosted every fifty years to... foster trust and coöperation among the universe. The winner of this tournament will receive a fabulous prize, although this year's prize has yet to be chosen."

"Wow..." Orion bowed his head. "Please continue."

"Should you choose to decline, you will awaken tomorrow morning with no recollection of this message. But if you accept, your teleportation spell will send you here. So... what do you say?"

"Well... I did have plans for tomorrow... but the people there were strong enough to defeat Heracles and his Egyptian counterpart! What chance do I have against them?" the human asked, frowning.

"Your skill in sorcery should give you an edge in the fight..." the Caretaker commented politely.

"True... but what would be my prize if, by some incredible chance, I won?"

"Anything your heart desires, of course."

Orion looked away from the being and thought it over. "Very well, I accept."

"Thank you. Use your spell during the eclipse. You will be sent here instantly. And may I be the first to welcome you to Station S-6-S." With that, the dream faded, and Orion awoke.

"Today is gonna be a long day..." he muttered, a tired smile on his face as he tossed aside the covers. "A very long one."

The day of the eclipse soon dawned, and like many others, Orion stood outside that morning in waiting, although for a different reason than them. He wore his full sorcery outfit: a long black tunic bearing a simple spiral galaxy helix symbol, belted along the waist with a midnight blue band bearing three quartz gems positioned to resemble Orion's Belt. Under both was a simple pair of blue jeans. Over his eyes were a pair of goggles with an elastic strap and special lenses to help his nearsightedness and dull red boots. A pouch hung from his belt that contained the fourteen gem spheres, and his wand was strapped to his thigh in a holster.

As Orion got ready to perform the Outside Step technique, he cast his mind back to the first time he had used the spell. He had just found the third pair of spheres to add to his collection. The instant he touched it, he felt a familiar surge of magic and was pulled into a vision, rearing back slightly and gasping instinctively.

_He had seen a black-clothed figure holding up three sapphires and three emeralds up. The six spheres formed a slender hexagon, and peeled apart like a zipper into what looked like a thin portal, through which he and the jewels went through, reappearing a short distance elsewhere. "Wow... I gotta try that!" Orion grinned as the vision faded, running back to his room at the Sanctum Sanctorum and collecting the other five gems. Organizing them into the pattern he had visualized, he channelled energy into them. At once, the gems did as requested, forming the alternating hexagonal design, through which the twenty year old stepped, reappearing six feet from where he started. "Whoa, man that was weird!" He shook his head. "I gotta tell Doctor Strange..."_

_The Sorcerer Supreme looked impressed at what Orion had accomplished, and examined the gems when the younger magic-user had presented them. Apparently, they were called "Hallow Stones", and four more pairs of sapphires and emeralds than what Orion possessed existed around the globe, as well as the name of the spell he had preformed with them: the Outside Step. Each year following, the sorcerer-in-training was permitted to spend a month searching for another pair, honing his skills to do so. Pair number four was found in a cave and protected by a very small swarm of Winged Mark, an offshoot of the far larger swarm which the Ancient One had defeated several years prior, and was defeated by Orion using a crude axe. The fifth was hidden in a Hindu temple, requiring stealth to acquire. Sixth was in Brazil, encased in a tall tree. The final pair was in Tibet, frozen in a cave halfway up the side of Everest itself._

_Orion then spent a year mastering the Hallow Stones, meditating with them in different patterns every night, and practicing with the magic deep inside them every day. Soon came the time when Orion could simply cast a thought out to the jewels, and their faint voices would reply in eagerness, waiting for the chance to unleash their power in whatever way he found necessary._

Smiling fondly at the memories, the now 29-year old male pulled out the six stones he had used that day, watching as the glyphs on them morphed into the proper configuration of Greek, Norse, and Egyptian. "Everything's ready..." he murmured quietly, holding out the stone, three in each hand, waiting for the eclipse to begin.

A few minutes passed, and finally, the Moon passed completely in front of the Sun. Orion thrust the gems forward, forming the thin, zipper-like portal Looking through, he saw naught but a deep metallic blackness, so unlike the velvety comforting dark that was the Outside. The gateway vanished behind him, and a bolt of crimson light shot into the sky with a sonic boom.

Light years away, near the Inferno nebula, floated a strange black space station. It's center is a single large bulb with a three-mile diameter resting in its center. From there, sixteen spokes sprout out a total of six more miles where they were intersected by massive rings, each one a mile in diameter. There are a total of three rings, all of them as steely black as the station itself and covered in spikes, just as Horus had described it 5000 years ago, although seeing it in person was more chilling in a way. Station S-6-S almost emitted an aura of evil. Orion's teleportation beam zoomed closer and closer, heading for a docking bay near the exterior ring.

Inside the bay, the hexagonal pattern Orion had stepped through earlier reappeared, and with a flash of red light, released him as the exterior doors closed. The gems zipped into his pouch, making a clinking noise against the others. "So... this is Station S-6-S, huh." he commented as he waltzed into the station proper. "Whoa... looks like the inside of Notre Dame... if it was.. evil." the sorcerer muttered as he checked his supplies. In a backpack was a magical tent and some food. Briefly, he pulled out a green apple and his wand. "Hydros!" Orion muttered, shooting a blast of water at the fruit and bit into it with a crunch. "Food's still good, and the wand works." He sat down and placed the apple in his lap. He opened his pouch and counted the Hallow stones, all of which were present and accounted for, judging from the inaudible thrumming of their energy against his mind. "Got all of 'em! Okay, now to find a map..."

With that, Orion finished his apple and incinerated the core before strolling off through the techno-Gothic architecture, unaware that he was being watched by a monitor nearby. He strolled through the station until he found a window and looked outside. "Whoa." Outside, the Inferno nebula blazed like the fires of Hell itself. "Dear Ra, where is this place?" he muttered to himself quietly. "It wasn't on the globe, or on any other star charts..." Orion shuddered. "Even if I could breathe in space, I'd hate to be out there. Looks like Surtr's palace." He turned and walked away, glancing around at the walls. "Now where's a terminal when you need one?" he asked himself as he pulled an iPod out of his pocket and began listening to it with one ear bud in.

Deep inside the station, the Caretaker, exactly as Horus the Elder had described in his tale, watched the sorcerer wander around on one of the sixteen screens before him. "He has promise... but that won't be enough to survive!" The being laughed madly, his voice echoing throughout his chamber.

* * *

**Novanto's Note: The planisphere Orion owns is based on a fascinating piece I saw in Norfolk's Chrysler museum: the "Astronomical Calendar Sphere" by Stanislav Libensky. Trying to figure out what trick of light made it work the way it did gave me a headache! I tried looking it up; got no results. Stay tuned to find out who Orion's first opponent is!**


	2. VS: Hal Durendal - Guns vs Mage-fire!

**Novanto's Notes: **Well, here's my second part for Rapidfyrez's The Calling OCT! My opponent is MEleeSmasher's character Hal Durandal.

In this chap is a quote from the Doctor Strange animated film in whose universe Orion resides. Also, see if you can find a Skrim and Portal reference! And, if you squint, you might catch a glimpse of a Samurai Jack reference! ;-) Here's hoping I win!

* * *

Slipping away from the window, Orion continued his patrol of the station's outer ring, noting the sagging metal and busted computer terminals. "Dear Ra, the condition of this place is horrible..." he commented aloud, his voice echoing through the halls before fading into the almost imperceptible moaning of stressed steel.

* * *

In the core, the Caretaker observed a monitor showing the tournament match-ups. "Magic versus gun. I do wonder which will triumph?" he cackled, before descending into a hacking cough. When the fit subsided, he smirked. "Time for a little fun, don't you agree?" The groaning of settling metal and the steady pulsing of power rushing outward toward the rings didn't appear to do so. Huffing, the Caretaker pressed a few keys, activating a few traps.

* * *

Eventually, the mage stumbled into a small room, occupied by a featureless robotic figure, as well as the map of the station he had been seeking. "Finally!" Orion snatched up the paper and folded it away after giving a brief look-over to attempt to discern his location. He failed to notice however, that the robot's eyes had lit up until it took a shuddering step forward. The foot landed with a thump. the mage slowly turned around to see the robot moving. "Oh no." Quickly folding the map and stowing it, Orion summoned a sword, a delicate weapon whose tip stuck out from the rest of the blade like an old-fashioned key, as it drew a pistol and fired.

Instinctively, he ducked the shot and ran forward, impaling the machine and ripping out several clearly-important wires in the process. Orion panted from the shock and patted his chest, attempting to calm the adrenaline rush as he exited the room and continued his trek. That was intense... Orion thought. Wonder what it was there for?

Some minutes later, the magic-user stumbled upon an armored skeleton that resembled an anthropomorphic cat. "A Khajiit?" he asked himself, noting the feline head and tail vertebra as he bent down to examine the body. "Didn't know they were real!" _Then again, this tournament calls all sorts of Warriors from every universe! For all I know, this guy could've been a... nah!_

The armor was rusty, as was expected since the creature was long dead, but what interested Orion was the fact that the bones and armor were riddled with holes. "These look like bullets..." he muttered in a slightly disturbed tone, tracing the edge and gently moving the body to find the holes passed clean through, leaving a shiny metal dart embedded in the wall behind the unfortunate former competitor. "... or darts." he finished, returning the body to its proper place and uttering a short prayer to Bastet to protect the felinoid's soul, briefly touching the ankh charm under his tunic as he did so. "Bastet, please guide this member of your ranks to Aaru..."

Finishing the act, Orion stood and looked around, trying to find where the darts would come from, and what would set them off. Tiny holes in both the left and right wall answered the former question, and a gleaming tripwire at ankle height answered the latter. "Hmm..." lightly, the mage plucked at the wire, hitting the deck as the trap activated, spraying darts into the opposite wall at incredible speeds. "WHOA-! Friendly tournament my butt!" he shouted aloud with a glare as he cautiously stepped over the wire.

The mage continued walking along the corridor, keeping an eye out for traps. Suddenly, he heard a click as his foot depressed a tile. The mage leaped back as a hidden flamethrower activated and nearly torched him. "What the Hell?! Who puts a flamethrower on a space station?" Orion shouted out, slightly miffed and heavily startled. "First a robot drone, then darts, and now a Set-damned flamethrower..." he muttered darkly, attempting to brush the soot from his front. Echoing footsteps and a distant yelling drew him closer. Slowly, he made his way to a large open space, like a hangar, with branching hallways stretching out from each wall.

"Murcurio?" The voice called out again, as its owner entered. The man looked fairly young, with white skin and black hair. He wore a hoodie, a backwards Nexus cap, dark pants, and black boots. Slung over his shoulder was a plain duffel bag "Murcurio, is that you?"

"Hello!" Orion yelled in response. "I'm not Mercurio though..." _Wonder who that is..._

"Well then who are you?"

"Orion Hecatson." the mage said kindly. "Mage and former apprentice to the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Hal Durendal, Fixer." the raven-hair replied.

Orion bowed his head in welcome at the name, then cocked his head at the title. "Fixer?" he asked. "What do you fix?"

"It means I'm a mercenary."

"Ah..." the brunet grimaced. "Who's Mercurio?" Before Hal could respond, both people jumped at the loud BOOM of a loudspeaker being turned on.

"GREETINGS, FELLOW COMPETITORS. I AM THE CARETAKER." A wheezing sound and a cough could be heard when he said this.

"Are you alright?" Orion asked, concern for the being clear on his face. The Caretaker he had seen in his dreams had sounded far healthier. "You don't sound so good!"

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN, SORCERER!" The Caretaker snapped. "THIS TOURNAMENT BEGINS. THE ONLY RULE IN THIS TOURNAMENT IS WIN. IT MATTERS NOT IF YOUR OPPONENT IS DEAD OR IF YOU CHOSE TO SHOW MERCY AND SPARE THEM." The doors that led to the other corridors suddenly slammed shut as the being spoke. "YOU WILL BE PERMITTED TO LEAVE YOUR CHOSEN ARENA ONCE A VICTOR IS DECIDED. LET THE MATCH... COMMENCE!" Another hacking cough sounded before the intercom shut off.

"Guess you're my first opponent!" Orion grinned, twirling his weapon with a flourish.

"Looks like it." Hal commented, gazing at the gold-eyed brunet. The strange outfit Orion wore seemed highly unsuitable for combat, but appeared to put a greater effort into allowing free movement, something the mage's body was clearly built for. "What do you say to givin' me a couple minutes to get ready? Can't carry this thing and fight at the same time."

Orion frowned and crossed his arms. "How do I know you ain't pulling wool over my eyes?" He asked, suspicious as he fingered his sword's hilt.

"You don't." Hal replied simply, setting the bag down and removing several weapons, most prominently an assault rifle, a pistol, a baton and a large pile of grenades and ammunition mags, from inside it. Orion was impressed, both at the number of deadly devices, and at how high-tech they were. "Whoa, that seems a tad overkill..."

"There's no kill like it!" Hal grinned, loading the rife.

Orion laughed. "So very true!"

"As I was about to say earlier before I was interrupted, Mercurio is the robot who dragged me here. Said he wasn't programmed to take no for an answer or somethin' like that."Hal shrugged as he loaded a magazine. "What brought you here?"

"I had a dream of the Caretaker, or what I think was the Caretaker, inviting me here." Orion replied with a faint smile as he drew his wand, twirling it before settling into a conductor's grip.

* * *

The being in question growled at the screen displaying the casually chatting pair. "This is taking far too long... time for some incentive, methinks." With that, a button was pressed.

* * *

Along each wall, a flamethrower emerged and the weapons proceeded to do what they did best. "Oh shit!" the mage dropped his sword, which fell with a clank. "Pyros!" Orion pointed the stick at the flames and whipped it around, directing them into a ring around the two combatants.

"What... was that?" Hal asked, dumbstruck by the feat.

"Magic!" the mage replied happily, noting Hal's expression. "Now let's get to it!" he launched a tongue of flame at the Fixer. Rolling out of the way, Hal raised his gun. _Wow, he's quick! Gonna have to be light on my feet..._ Orion thought as he summoned a shield just before his opponent fired, using the seven sapphires from his pouch.

Orion replied by hefting the shield in front. The bullets mercilessly pounded at the blue barrier, causing it to ripple from the impact. The shield held firmly, letting none of the projectiles through. "Gonna have to do better than that!" he smirked, drawing his wand and pointing it at the man. "Pyros!" A gout of intense fire shot out over the battlefield and coated the weapon, forcing Hal to drop it.

"Ah!" The gun shooter dropped the burnt weapon and gazed at his hand, which still stung like he had briefly touched a hot stove. "Let me guess what brings a wizard like you here..." Hal snapped snidely. "Unlimited magic, power over the universe, right? Or maybe the classic immortality!" he finished, throwing a grenade.

"Immortality?" Orion pretended to gag as he ran out of the bomb's trajectory. "Living forever is worse than death in my opinion. I wanna die when the reaper knocks and says its time to go!" he explained proudly. "I wanna know what these gems can do. Everything they can or can't do." What brings you here?"

"A challenge." Hal answered simply, tossing another grenade. Orion could tell he was holding information back, but chose to ignore it in favor of electrocuting the object into detonating harmlessly with a lightning spell.

Taking advantage of Orion's distraction and throwing out more grenades to cover himself, Hal made his way to a terminal sitting embedded in the wall and began typing at it rapidly. The mage caught glimpses of the Fixer actions. _Is he... hacking the terminal?_

First, the Caretaker's flamethrowers shut off, soon followed by the firewall. _That was nice!_ Next, a dart gun began firing at Orion, who got hit several times. _What the-?_

"Ow! Ow! That hurt!" Orion yelled as the darts tore at his clothes and flesh. _How the hell is he hacking into an old as dirt yet super-advanced space station?_

"That's the general idea!" Hal shouted back, pressing another button that released football (American) shaped pods. Each one extended a pair of gun turrets and began shooting at the magic-user.

"Seriously?!"

"As a heart attack!" Hal replied smoothly, turning to watch with a smirk as Orion dodged away from the bullets, blasting a few and getting clipped by more that he didn't notice. The mage soon noticed the smile, and forced control of a cluster using a combination of lightning and metal spells, forcing Hal to jump away from the terminal like a startled rabbit.

The two were so busy trying not to get shot by each-other, neither noticed that the terminal began to spark until the drones stopped shooting.

"ENOUGH! NOW FIGHT!" the Caretaker snarled over the intercom, clearly irritated by how the two appeared to be simply toying with each-other instead of actually battling. In response, the turrets began to shoot at both of them once more. Orion immediately tackled Hal to a corner and summoned a barrier spell.

"Truce until these things are gone?" the mage asked.

"Truce." the merc agreed, loading a pair of pistols. The barrier dropped and the pair attacked. A blazing inferno peppered by bullets encompassed the drones, destroying dozens in minutes, but not stopping more from appearing. "We need to stop 'em! I don't have much more ammo!"

"My wand'll need to recharge soon!" _Dear god, who or what makes these things? Aperture?!_ he added mentally as he saw they were still coming and firing an obscene amount of bullets any mad AI would be proud of. "I can't keep this up much longer!"

Hal looked around and again spotted the terminal. Pulling out his baton and tossing aside the now-empty pistols, he turned back to Orion. "How much longer?"

"Maybe a few minutes..." Orion replied, his voice straining under the effort. "Why?"

"Im gonna smash that terminal! Can you keep them busy?"

"I'll do my best..." I really hope this works... I don't even know if I have a few minutes! The sorcerer thought desperately.

Hal ran over to the terminal. "I'm getting tired of you, Caretaker!" he yelled. "You want to fight us then come out here and do it yourself!" with that, the Fixer plunged the electrified baton into the screen, frying the computer.

In response, the turret hatches slammed shut. the mage fire consumed the stragglers.

"Well..." Orion panted, hands on his knees in exhaustion. "Since we're... both out of ammo..." here he called both of the discarded swords to his hands, "wanna settle this... the old-school way?" the mage stood straight and flipped one of the weapons so he was loosely gripping the blade and held it out.

"Sure... why not." Hal replied, gingerly taking the offered object and giving it an experimental swing to test its weight. "Haven't fought with a sword before..." he admitted. "What are the rules?"

"We stand back to back in the center of the room, advance toward the walls, and then approach to begin." Orion suggested. "That sound good?"

"I don't particularly mind," Hal nodded in acceptance. Together, the pair marched toward the spot. Bowing low to each-other, they positioned themselves back to back. "Ready?"

"Proceed. One, two, three, four,..." Orion counted out the steps aloud as he felt the humming of the Hallow Stones in his pouch. They've gotta be almost done recharging by now... The massive energy drain from the enhanced Outside Step was finally subsiding, and power had retuned to the stones. Finally! "..., eighteen, nineteen, twenty!." The pair spun on their heels to face each-other, and charged forward. Outside Step! the mage yelled in his response six of the emeralds and sapphires Orion had in his pouched swirled before him and the mage vanished, almost the instant before contact was made.

"What the-" a flash of light appeared behind Hal and he spun around, barely blocking Orion's brutal chopping motion with his sword, the two blades ringing on contact. "What the hell was that?!"

"Outside Step!" Orion replied cooly, slashing harshly at the Fixer. "I can step out of the universe itself!"

"I'd say that's impossible, but I've seen weirder." Hal commented, feinting to the side. Orion saw the trick and retaliated by swiping horizontally, disrupting the tactic. "Damn."

"Gonna have to try harder than that!" the mage crowed.

The pair continued trading blows, parries, and thrusts, each trying to get the upper hand. _He's getting better at using the sword the more he uses it! _Orion thought, as the blades rang out once more._ I gotta end this quick!_

Hal thrusted forward and sliced off the pouch, knocking it away, followed by Orion's wand. "Hah! No more magic for you!" The fixer pointed the tip at the mage's heart. "Concede, and we can finish this fight. I have what I came for!" Hal grinned. Orion stared at the tip, remembering the day he had first summoned it.

It had been the day when he found the seventh pair of Hallow Stones. Immediately after freeing them from the ice, a troll had leaped out of the cavern depths and attacked. Orion panicked, and sent an adrenaline-fueled mental command to the Stones.

Immediately, the seven emeralds had swirled around his hand and moved downward, leaving behind the mage's signature weapon, which was promptly used to stab the beast in the head, killing it instantly.

"That's what you think!" the mage smirked, clapping his hands together. "Matter is energy which is all around us." Orion quoted his master's master, pulling his hands apart. In response, air began to swirl between his palms and formed an all-white sword that lacked the key-like protrusion of the weapon lying out of reach. The emerald set into the cross-guard almost seemed to glow. "Magic is the art of wielding that energy. A weapon forged from air? Tell me, Is it real?" As he finished the quotation, Orion swung the flat and knocked the weapon away with a clang, where it fell next to its twin. "Swords, begone!"

One of the key-blades promptly vanished in a flash of green light, seeming to leave behind a hole in space that took its shape before closing up. The remaining weapon dissolved into dust. Satisfied, Orion put his current weapon's tip to Hal's sternum. "I believe I asked you a question: Is this weapon real?" he asked again with a smile. _Can't believe I almost forgot about the sword-of-air spell!_ the mage thought.

"It's real, it's real!" Hal responded, scared and staring down the weapon's three-foot length.

"Do you yield?"

The Fixer glanced around for another thing to use, but his search was in vain. Sighing, he closed eyes. "Yeah, I yield."

Orion smiled and helped Hal up. "Good fight, man. I really had fun!"

"Ditto... but what happened to your other swords?"

"The one I walked in with is stored in a pocket dimension. The second was just a copy formed of light and dust." the mage explained. "Emerald Dawn here," Orion gazed and smiled at the weapon as he spoke, "is made entirely of air that was compressed into the shape and function of a sword, then tinted to look like one. It's actually one of the first spells a sorcerer like me and my master had to learn." he added happily.

"Y'know, that could've helped during the turret thing..." Hal pointed out.

"True. But you know what they say: hindsight's 20/20."

"CONGRATULATIONS, ORION HECATSON!" the Caretaker's voice rang out. "YOU HAVE PROGRESSED TO ROUND TWO. HAL DURENDAL, YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED."

"Drat... oh well. Least I got the challenge I wanted!"

"Yeah, we both did!" Orion grinned and clapped Hal on the back as the doors opened.

"CONTINUE, SORCERER." the Caretaker commanded. "MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE NEXT RING, AND CONTINUE YOUR CHALLENGE."

Orion nodded and shook hands with Hal, who smiled and began to back up his things. Orion held out a business card. "If you wanna have a rematch or just hang out, here's my number." he explained.

"I will!" Hal replied, grinning as he pocketed the card and slung the rucksack over his shoulder and walked off.

The mage grinned back and, choosing a door at random, left the scrap-strewn battlefield behind. As he strolled through the corridor beyond, his thoughts turned to the future of the Tournament. _That was a tough fight... but in the end, magic and the sword will always win... I wonder who, or even what, my next opponent will be?_


End file.
